Shadow Team
by Violet 1313
Summary: Four teenagers lives are brought together by the secret organisation called the Shadows. This 'Shadow Team' is designed to work for the Shadows to do the will of the Light. But an unexpected turn of events pulls the team together before they're ready and they set off on their own paths with personal missions of their own, and the Light will to anything to get them back. T Violence


**1: The Team**

The tests were complete and Alinta Burns loved her new suit.

The insulation had been greatly improved, and the fireproofing was perfect, exactly what she wanted, what she needed. It would not burn up or even singe no matter how hot the fire was, no matter how long she set her suit alight, and while it wouldn't burn, it also wouldn't stop the fire. If anything it helped the fire burn better.

It even had pockets! In her opinion, there was nothing worse than an outfit without pockets!

Unless it wasn't a symmetrical or well-matched outfit. That was much worse.

Another reason why she loved this new suit, not only did its colouring and design beat the previous one by miles (She liked the red and black better than the black and white) but she was slao so relieved the new design was no longer asymmetric.

Now she could look in the mirror without nearly having a breakdown. It didn't matter if they gave her medications, her OCD wasn't about to be cured. It didn't matter, though. She was who she was, and she could deal with her eccentric perfectionism.

The door to her room opened and Tomcat walked in. Alinta wouldn't help but smile when she saw him, feeling her heart flutter. Felix Dempsey wasn't exceptionally tall or buff for a young man of eighteen, but he was very strong and lithe and quite good-looking, even with the cat's ears atop his head and his sleek panther-like tail. If anything his hybrid appearance made him even more attractive.

And his skills were downright amazing, only the best were trained by Ra's al Ghul himself, and Felix's cat-like abilities made him one devil of a ninja during a fight and he held a very high rank for an assassin of his age.

But for all that, Ainta still couldn't help but be mesmerised by his vivid green, reflective, slitted cat's-eyes.

Those eyes, which were staring steadily at her, expectantly, waiting. "Well?"

Damn, he'd asked a question. Alinta quickly flicked back her memory and recalled what she hadn't paid attention to.

"The suit is excellent." Alinta breathed. "Much better than the last. It even has two masks!" She pulled off the solid black headpiece, which covered her entire head, face and neck, and held up the other which had openings for her eyes instead of clear, black fabric, and also revealed the lower part of her face, the fabric ending at the bridge of her nose and cutting down to below her ears.

It had openings for her ears too.

She went to pull it on but Felix gently stopped her hand. "Leave it off." he said quietly and stroked a gentle, gloved hand over her fine cheekbone. "It's not very often I get to see your beautiful face."

Alinta smiled slightly and gently brushed his hand off. "You don't mean that." she said grumpily, moving again to put the mask on.

"What are you talking about?" Felix stopped her again. "You're verrrry pretty."

Alinta couldn't help but laugh at the way he purred the words. She sobered. "No I'm not. Not anymore."

"Alinta." Felix said quietly, "For someone with such a high IQ, you can be really dumb sometimes. I don't care if you don't have any hair anymore, you're still the prettier than all those cake-faces out there." He smiled, "I like your look, it makes your eyes look bigger."

Alinta felt her face heating up. She knew Felix wouldn't see the colour, she was naturally rosy, but she could tell he had already felt the temp change.

He was smiling. "Even if you don't like your face, you can't deny that you've got one _hot_ body." His hands found her waist and he stepped closer.

Alinta flicked him on the nose.

"Ow!" he grumbled and freed a hand to rub it.

Alinta smirked. "Don't start with puns, or I might just set you on fire."

He smiled, showing his sharp teeth. "You're a dangerous girl." he joked and pulled her in close. "I like that." he purred into her ear.

She giggled, "You sound like a kitten."

He smiled and purred a little louder.

"It's not very intimidating." she pointed out.

"Do I have to be intimidating?"

"You're an assassin. So, yeah."

He stepped back, "But do I have to be Tomcat all the time?" he pulled back his own half-face mask. "Can't I ever just be Felix Dempsey?"

Alinta smiled. "Wasn't this supposed to be a professional conversation?"

He pulled her close again, "Not at all."

Alinta wrapped her arms around him, cherishing the warmth of his body. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Good." She mumbled. "There are too many 'professional conversations' in this place, not enough normality."

Felix chuckled, "Very little is 'normal' around here."

"But you like it here, don't you?"

Felix shrugged. "It's better than some other places I've lived, but it's not my home. Just a place."

"But do you like it here?" Alinta asked, looking up at him. "Do you like your work?"

"It's better than my life was before." Felix said, "But 'like' might be a little strong. I accept it as it comes. That's how I thought it was, how life was supposed to be: get orders, fulfil orders, repeat, get promoted, climb the ranks, y'know. I thought my life was good, but then you came along." he smiled, "And that gave me perspective. You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long, long time. Probably ever."

Alinta smiled, "And you've been the only spark of light in these years since . . . you know."

"Don't think about it." Felix said quietly.

Alinta felt her eyes sting with tears but she refused to let them fall. She felt anger burning up. "They'll all pay." she growled, balling her hands into fists.

"Yes." Felix said, "But not right now. Right now you need to calm down, or were you serious when you threatened to set me on fire?"

Alinta pulled away quickly, "Oh! I'm sorry, did I-"

"No." Felix said, "And you're allowed to be angry, Alinta." she could see a hidden fury burning in his eyes, but then he softened and smiled slyly, "Just not right now." He leaned in towards her.

The door slid open with a hiss and a messenger stepped into the room. "Burn." he said and Alinta growled in annoyance and glared at him.

"What?" she said.

"The Master request's your company." He left.

Alinta grumbled. "Requests." she snorted, "More like orders."

Felix smiled and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "I'll see you later." he said and walked her to the door, where they parted ways.

Alinta quickly headed to meet the Master. Her disappointment was quickly replaced by excitement. Maybe now she would be allowed out into the field. Or, even better, she'd be granted permission to fulfil her own mission. Excitement turned to burning resentment for the people who'd stood by and watched as Alinta and her family were consumed by flames.

She'd destroy every last soul who'd allowed her family to be taken from her. This time it would be them who burned.

Every last one of them.

"No." The Master said. "You have been given your assignment, but you are not granted permission to go off on your personal mission at the present time."

"But-" Alinta began, but the Master stared at her sternly and the argument died on her lips.

"You are to eliminate your target, and only your target, and then report back to me. Once you've passed your trials, then you may be granted permission to go off on your own quest." Alinta glared furiously, but nodded. "You may leave." Master said, and Alinta excited the room.

An idea came to her. She didn't need the Shadows. They'd given her what she needed. She had her powers, and her strength, and her suit. She had her skills and her training. She didn't need to do what they wanted. She had her own quest, and she'd go off on it when she wanted.

And the time was ripe.

She may even get rid of her assigned target as a side-mission. And why wait til a few days' time when they'd send her off with someone watching her? She could easily escape now, she'd heard a technician mention a problem with the gas system. An 'accident' with a little fire in the right place would cause the whole stupid facility to go up in flames.

And she could always get Tomcat out. Felix was the only thing in the entire facility that she cared about. The only thing in her life that meant anything to her, aside from her quest.

Alinta made up her mind and headed down the hall in the opposite direction to her room. She'd lived in this place for three years, but she had no personal belongings, nothing of any meaning to her.

All she needed was herself, Felix and freedom, and she'd be peachy, just peachy.

Felix's aim and accuracy was the one thing he had to practice constantly. In everything, he could perfect the technique after only seeing it a few times. The execution required a little training, and he had to keep fit and limber, but accuracy and aim needed constant touching up.

He was in the middle of a practice session when the door to the training room slid open.

"You'd better have a good reason for this, Adam." Felix growled without looking over.

"Burn is headed for the boiler room." Adam announced.

Felix growled, "She's going to blow this place, isn't she?"

"We believe so." Adam said, "Master orders you execute Phase 3."

"Though so." Felix said to himself, "Skip Phase 2."

"Pardon?" Adam said.

"Evacutate everyone to the lower levels, I will get my team together."

Adam nodded and slipped away.

Felix dashed to his room and grabbed his arsenal as well as two pre-packed backpacks. He strapped on his weaponry and headed down the hall as the evacuation sirens began to blare. "Its too soon." he muttered to himself, "They're not ready." he ran silently through the halls.

"Damn your great ideas, Alinta."

Lily Langstrom was awoken by the screaming sirens. Her eyes snapped open, but her room was dark and she couldn't see well anyway.

In fact, she was pretty sure there was no getting better. She was going to go blind.

Her weak eyes managed to read the glowing numbers on the bedside clock. It was just past nine at night, late.

She tried to get up, but she was still too weak, her limbs couldn't support her weight, light as it was.

And then an explosion rocked the building and she was thrown to the floor. The lights turned on and the door automatically slid open and a wave of heat hit her. She could just make out the dancing orange light of flames. She tried desperately to get up, but collapsed again.

"Help!" Lily cried as black smoke filled her room and fire licked around the doorframe. "Please, someone help me!"

Jackson Valin knew he was dreaming. It was a memory, a replay. And any memories were welcomed, because at the moment there were precious few and too many questions. He knew he was missing a chunk of his life, and more importantly, a very recent chunk. He knew the people who'd been 'helping' him were lying when they spun their stories about why he was locked up in a heavy-security, top-secret facility.

Or when they stumbled over answers as to why he wasn't an overweight nerd anymore, why he'd woken up as a weak, underweight child, and had been put into a training regime that quickly slapped rock-hard muscles on his bones.

And why he suddenly had a monkey-tail and hands instead of feet.

In Jackson's memory, that creepy guy with the transparent skull, Psymon they called him, was advancing on him.

"Calm down, Jackson." Psymon said, "Stop fighting and things will go a lot easier for you."

"No!" Jackson remembered yelling, and then whispering, "I must remember, I must!"

Psymon advanced on him and suddenly there was a loud explosion and the whole building shook and the memory faded.

"No!" Jackson yelled, "What must I remember?! What have I forgot?"

Someone was shaking him. "Kid! Hey! Get up!"

Jackson snapped awake and jerked upright. There was a guy standing in the open doorway, surrounded by thick smoke and silhouetted by orange light. Jackson didn't recognise his figure or his voice, he didn't sound like any of the guys who claimed to be of or working for something called the Light who'd held Jackson captive, but Jackson didn't think he could trust him.

But that didn't matter, because the door was open, and no-one was going to keep Jackson captive any longer.

Probably because they had already fled the burning building.

That sparred Jackson into action.

That, and the guy in the doorway, who called "Kid! Do you _want_ to burn?" He didn't sound worried or concerned. He sounded exasperated.

Jerk.

Jackson jumped up and followed the stranger who led him quickly down the halls.

Jackson had ran down several halls when he heard someone shouting for help. It sounded like a child. The guy was headed towards it anyway and they found a petite girl sprawled on the floor of one of the rooms.

"Are you all right?!" Jackson exclaimed.

"I can't get up." She sobbed and he quickly scooped her up bridal style and the other guy took off again.

They burst out of the building into the cool, fresh, night air.

Clear of the smoky haze inside, Jackson could make out the other guy's taller, lithe, strong figure, armed with a variety of knives and carrying a back-pack on each shoulder. Jackson also noted the guy's cat-like ears and tail and eyes which glowed green.

"Get further away!" the guy ordered, dumping the back-packs, "You're not safe here! I need to get Alinta!" a loud 'boom' rocked the landscape as the facility was consumed by a massive fireball. The force of the explosion threw them all backwards and the heat singed their hair. The remains of the building started to collapse in on itself.

"There's no way anyone survived that." Jackson said dumbly.

And then a figure ran towards them from out of the fire and smoke.

"Felix!" She called to the cat-guy who was picking himself up. She caught him in a hug, "You're OK! I went to find you but-"

He pushed her away and glared at her sternly. "You blew up the building." He didn't sound angry. In fact, the complete lack of any emotion was somehow worse.

For Jackson, anyway. Alinta didn't seem fussed. "Yes. They're done ordering us around."

"You did this?" Jackson exclaimed. "Good job."

Alinta looked at Jackson and the girl and then back to Felix. "Are they-"

"Yep." Felix said. He headed back towards them and Alinta followed. As they reached them Jackson could make them out a lot better. Felix wore a brown bodysuit with black tiger-stripes which joined on his chest to make a large, black 'T'. He wore a half-face mask, which stopped at his hairline, leaving Felix's considerably long, messy dark hair uncovered., The lower part of the mast made a "W' shape, revealing his jaw and his nose, with the mask covering where his ears should have been and making a 'V' underneath each eye. Goggles were attached to the large eye openings. Felix had a ninja sword strapped to his chest, and a belt across his chest holding an array of knives, and a belt around his waist holding a bunch of other weapons.

Alinta was wearing a bodysuit of alternating red and black. She was wearing a half mask as well, of a slightly different design to Felix's and which covered her entire head.

Felix picked up the backpacks. He shouldered one and handed the other to Alinta. "Keep moving he said, and gave Jackson a light push for emphasis. The building may blow again, and then we'll be dodging walls and doors. Come on.

"Where are we going?" The little girl asked quietly.

"Away from the building. Get moving." he strode on ahead.

Alinta matched his steady pace and walked beside Jackson. She looked at the little girl. "Is she OK?"

"I'm all right." The little girl said, "It's just I'm not strong enough. I'm sick."

"What's your name, Sweetie?" Alinta asked softly.

"Lily Langstrom." The girl replied, and then added, "I'm ten."

"You remind me of my little sister." Alinta said as she gently took Lily from Jackson and handed him the backpack.

"Thanks." Jackson said quietly.

"What's your name?" Alinta asked.

"Jackson." He said. "I'm fourteen, I'm pretty sure."

"Pretty sure?" Alinta queried.

"I've got a bit of a memory problem at the moment." he said simply.

"I'm Alinta Burns." Alinta said.

"Alinta?" Lily asked. "Who's your little sister?"

"Her name was Amilie." Alinta said, "She was eight."

"Was?" Jackson noticed.

"She's gone." Alinta said, "My whole family is." Jackson frowned, that sounded familiar for some reason, but the feeling was fleeting. "She'd be eleven now." Alinta said.

"What happened?" Lily asked quietly.

"A fire." Alinta sounded angry. "I survived and I've been here ever since."

"You were held captive too?" Jackson asked.

"Why do you think I blew the stupid place up?" Alinta growled.

"How old are you, Alinta?" Lily asked.

"Sixteen."

"Will you be my big sister?" Lily asked.

Alinta couldn't help but smile. "I suppose so."

"I don't have any brothers or sisters." Lily said "Do you have any, Jackson?"

"No." he said quietly.

"Can you be my brother?"

She was just too cute to refuse. "OK."

Lily looked towards Felix. "Do you have any brothers or sister, Felix?"

He was silent for a while, and Jackson thought he wasn't going to reply. And then he answered quietly. "No."

"Can you be my brother too?"

He was silent for a few seconds before saying, "All right, if you really want."

Jackson could practically hear Lily's smile.

They trekked in silence for a few minutes, and then Lily spoke again. "How old are you, Felix?"

"Eighteen."

And they rest of their short trek, they travelled in silence, each person lost in their own thoughts.


End file.
